View full sizeAs the clear focus of a Cleveland Browns draft that was light on other spotlight-grabbing names, Barkevious Mingo will be asked to validate the front office's first major set of decisions, says Bill Livingston. Then again, just getting to enemy quarterbacks would be a good thing.Thomas Ondrey, The Plain Dealer

As the Browns' rookie mini-camp opened Friday, Mingo commanded watchers' attention even if it was only in the agility drills reporters were allowed to watch. He looked agile.

Mingo was the team's only selection (at No. 6) among the first 67 picks. A 6-4 defensive end, he was one of only two Browns draftees (along with undersized cornerback Leon McFadden from San Diego State) taken in the first 174 picks. The rest of the draft rests on the injured (sixth-rounder Jamorris Slaughter) and a last-round discipline worry (Armonty Bryant), plus a guy (Garrett Gilkey) with a high-school health issue.

Mingo has the explosive burst of a good high-school sprinter, the better to jump the snap; the wingspan of a prep power forward in basketball, the better to leverage blockers, corral quarterbacks and bat down passes; and the whole fearsome pedigree of speed rushers from the Southeastern Conference, the better to be part of the best.

He said he ran a 48.5-second 400 and 22.7 on the 200's curve, which are good times. In highlight clips, Mingo answered to a starter's pistol, not the quarterback's snap count. He blazed into opposing backfields, untouched and maybe untouchable. That was Mingo getting after Johnny Manziel on those occasions on which Mingo was not containing the scrambling freshman Texas A&M quarterback and Heisman winner well enough to let the air out of "Johnny Football." Mingo knifed into other backfields. He flew through the air to haul runners down from behind.

He made plays that impact games. Auburn, Florida, Tennessee, even the Crimson Tsunami themselves experienced the Barkevious bite.

Then again, that's why they're called highlights.

The SEC background is important. It stands alone with six straight BCS championships. After Urban Meyer's burnout at Florida and rekindling at Ohio State, Alabama stands almost alone in the SEC. LSU, however, is clinging to its cuffs.

Plans are to play Mingo as an outside linebacker more than a defensive end in a three-point stance. At 237 pounds, he looks light to be a traditional defensive end. A dropped pass in drills Friday might be an aberration or an omen for his play at linebacker.

Mingo seems fluid enough to make an easier transition than Dwight Freeney did with the Colts last season. Then again, Mingo has not played 10 years in the NFL as a pass-rushing end, as has Freeney.

Speed kills. SEC speed kills in the snap of a finger. In the BCS Championship Game after the 2006 season, Florida defensive end Derrick Harvey left Ohio State tackle Alex Boone spinning in his wake like a top en route to Buckeyes quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith, who on In-n-Out burgers and adulation had fed. Harvey got three sacks, still a title game record. There is no tally of the sacks of burgers Smith had in the days before the game.

Although Boone was blamed for Harvey's rampage, poor blocking calls by center Doug Datish and failure to adjust by overmatched line coach Jim Bollman were also factors.

Still, an offensive tackle is so worried about getting out to the edge when he's pass-blocking a speed guy that his weight is back on his heels. When Freeney, after rushing upfield all game and trying to run around Joe Thomas, suddenly gave the stellar Browns tackle a power rush, Thomas was off-balance and beaten.

Asked whether he was better rushing upfield or trying to bowl over blockers, Mingo said, "You have to do both to be effective. We mixed it up pretty well at LSU."

The Browns are starting all over again with new decision-makers, so the progress of their first draftees will provide the early returns on the Joe Banner-Mike Lombardi team. Beyond Mingo are draftees held in lower esteem and undrafted free agents. This is known as wishing and hoping.

Coach Rob Chudzinski said Mingo would be assigned a target weight before training camp opens. Conventional wisdom is that Mingo needs to be 10 or 15 pounds heavier. For his part, Mingo said he's given up fast food, which will prevent anyone at Ohio State paying him Tuesday for a hamburger today.

Follow Us

cleveland.com is powered by Plain Dealer Publishing Co. and Northeast Ohio Media Group. All rights reserved (About Us).The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Northeast Ohio Media Group LLC.